Tony Romo is reportedly jumping right into the main stage on Sunday afternoons, slated to be replacing Phil Simms as CBS’s top analyst.
Just hours after it was first reported that Tony Romo was retiring from football, news broke revealing where exactly the former Cowboys quarterback may be headed.
As reported by Sports Business Daily, Romo and the network reached a verbal agreement, with Romo expected to replace Phil Simms as CBS’s top analyst alongside Jim Nantz. FOX originally seemed to be the perfect fit for the former Cowboys quarterback with the NFC rights.
Simms joined CBS in 1998, and previously appeared on ESPN and NBC. It seemed as if he and Nantz were going to be mainstays together on the network for as long as possible, and Romo’s rumored retirement had led to speculation for weeks about a shakeup.
The move continues the trend of changing of the guard for Sunday’s usual names in the broadcast business. Just last season, Mike Tirico stepped in and took over some responsibilities for NBC’s football coverage.
Tirico found himself in a similar situation as Romo, replacing a major name in the business as he will take over Bob Costas’s studio role for both the Olympics and the NFL.
One hiccup in the situation comes in for the network’s Thursday Night Football broadcasts. Sports Business Daily also reported that Romo would not want to immediately hop into both Thursday Night games and the network’s national game. Contractual obligations say that the network must put its lead team on the broadcast, but NBC still found ways for Tirico to call Thursday night games last season in place of Al Michaels.
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Obviously all of this will only hold true if Romo truly stays retired, and the quarterback could technically come out of retirement at any point, a la Brett Favre. If the offer is right and the desire to play is still there, don’t be surprised if Romo makes it back to the field.
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